Weigh before or after cooking??

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GooneyAngel
GooneyAngel Posts: 90
in Health and Weight Loss
I am just wondering when I am supposed to weigh my food? For example, when they say that 6 oz. of chicken has X amount of calories, is the 6 oz before or after it is cooked?? I just want to be sure that I am doing this right. Thanks for all the help!
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Replies

  • edryer123
    edryer123 Posts: 502 Member
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    Thanks for asking this question because I have the same one.
  • JenWorthen3
    JenWorthen3 Posts: 64 Member
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    I just looked this up on google and most of the sites say to weight it after you cook it.
  • ChefJenn
    ChefJenn Posts: 350 Member
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    i weigh all meat before cooking it. Most products should be weighed in its raw form.
    Pasta is the one that is hard to do. I tend to measure it out after cooking it b/c it swells when cooked bringing it to a state that you can measure it and know you are not eating more than the serving size.

    Chef Jenn
  • edryer123
    edryer123 Posts: 502 Member
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    Thank you much!
  • kylielouttit
    kylielouttit Posts: 512 Member
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    Good question!

    I have been weighing AFTER cooking, it will be interesting to see what others say.
  • denise980
    denise980 Posts: 296
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    After cooking, because when you cook it changes the size of the food.

    For example: when you cook let's say a piece of chicken, you get fat and juices that run out of it, which changes the weight of the food.
  • wiggleroom
    wiggleroom Posts: 322 Member
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    I have found all kinds of different answers out there -- like this one from caloriecount.com:

    "Food should be weighed after cooking, and then you should enter only the portion you actually eat. If you weigh a food before cooking it, you must enter the uncooked version in your food log for an accurate calorie count."

    But a pasta box says a serving is 2 oz, and there are approximately 8 servings per 16 oz box. But the other day, out of curiosity, I weighed out the 2 oz prior to cooking, and then weighed it again afterwards -- and it was way more than 2 oz (I can't remember exactly now). Obviously, this is because of the absorbed water.

    But my point is this: if the serving size for pasta is based on pre-cooked weight, why would other foods be any different?

    I feel like I'm missing something obvious.
  • ChefJenn
    ChefJenn Posts: 350 Member
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    maybe cooking in a restaurant is differ than cooking at home. b/c when you order a 10oz ribeye , it is not weighed after we cook it..
    All meat is cut and weighed during prep time before opening the doors of a business. This also goes for side dishes as well. Most everything is measured out ahead of time then its quickfired during dinner service.
    Just how I have been taught in the culinary world
  • goingwithgrace
    goingwithgrace Posts: 109 Member
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    We weight after.
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
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    I always weighed before because everything I eat is low fat. This week I bought my 7% ground beef, made a burger weighing out 4 oz. Just for the heck of it I weighed it after it was cooked and it was 3.25 oz!! :noway: Doesnt sound like much but for me 1 oz of food is a lot at the end of the day.

    So now I weigh after cooking!!:flowerforyou:
  • marlabelle
    marlabelle Posts: 55 Member
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    I actually know the answer to this question! Weigh ingredients before you cook them. During the cooking process all that changes is the amount of water. The ingredients reduce in weight but also concentrate.

    If you have any cooking questions I would be happy to help. I have a degree in culinary arts and worked in restaurants for 10 years.
  • PoleBoy
    PoleBoy Posts: 255 Member
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    From the UK perspective, in general before - unless the information specifies how it was cooked. (on packaing nutritional information is "as sold" unless otherwise specified)

    Tilda white brown basmati rice

    The steamed one comes in at 178 cals /per 100g, compared to the 348/100g
  • fitzie63
    fitzie63 Posts: 508 Member
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    Meat is always weighed BEFORE cooking, i.e. RAW WEIGHT. That includes poultry & fish too.

    Pasta is weighed as a DRY WEIGHT (before cooking).

    LINK: http://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/food-scale-for-weight-loss.aspx

    LINK: http://www.ehow.com/how_6938627_weigh-food-diet.html
  • GooneyAngel
    GooneyAngel Posts: 90
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    Thanks everyone! I appreciate all the input....and all of it is valuable information.
  • SLaw4215
    SLaw4215 Posts: 596 Member
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    I actually know the answer to this question! Weigh ingredients before you cook them. During the cooking process all that changes is the amount of water. The ingredients reduce in weight but also concentrate.

    If you have any cooking questions I would be happy to help. I have a degree in culinary arts and worked in restaurants for 10 years.
    Not to mention you've lost the equivelent of 2 4th grade children ...holy smoke!!!! If you lead I will follow
  • jgp46405
    jgp46405 Posts: 3
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    i still am not sure how this would work i had a boneless skinless chicken breast for dinner that before hand was 8oz and after cooking was 2oz so what should i log??
  • PoleBoy
    PoleBoy Posts: 255 Member
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    i still am not sure how this would work i had a boneless skinless chicken breast for dinner that before hand was 8oz and after cooking was 2oz so what should i log??
    How in the heck did you reduce an 8oz breast to 2oz?

    but the principle is the same, you log the raw weight. (if the 8oz was with the skin and the bone then you've logged the wrong thing)
  • slynn28
    slynn28 Posts: 93
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    i always weigh before cooking it.
  • cmayfield3
    cmayfield3 Posts: 176 Member
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    There should be multiple entries in the database for any particular food. Some entries for the raw food and some for the cooked food. If you weigh your food before cooking, you use the entry for the raw food. If you weigh it after it's cooked, you use the entry for the cooked food.
  • slynn28
    slynn28 Posts: 93
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    i still am not sure how this would work i had a boneless skinless chicken breast for dinner that before hand was 8oz and after cooking was 2oz so what should i log??
    How in the heck did you reduce an 8oz breast to 2oz?

    but the principle is the same, you log the raw weight. (if the 8oz was with the skin and the bone then you've logged the wrong thing)

    lol! thats weird from 8 to 2....

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